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I love soup. I love that it’s warm, hearty, and often accompanied by crackers and bread. And when it’s broccoli cheese soup, you basically get the added bonus of creamy cheesiness. Come on, who doesn’t want a bowl full of melted and creamy cheese for dinner?
What I don’t love about soup is that most homemade soup recipes are really involved and complicated, and often contain flours and thickeners. This is why I’m SO excited to share this broccoli cheese soup recipe with you. This soup is incredibly easy to make, and only uses simple, whole ingredients.
Instead of cheese, this broccoli cheese soup recipe uses a combination of soaked cashews, potatoes, and nutritional yeast. Once blended together, they give the soup the perfect creamy, cheesy texture and flavor. You’ll have no idea this broccoli cheese soup is completely dairy-free.
I know, I was a major skeptic too. But after playing around with this paleo broccoli cheese soup recipe, I was able to get the consistency just right. It’s SO good. And because the remaining ingredients and spices are simple and nourishing, this recipe is also Whole30, paleo, and vegan.
I definitely recommend doubling this Whole30 broccoli cheese soup recipe if you can. The best thing about homemade soup is that it stores incredibly well in the freezer, so it’s great for meal prep. Throw the leftover broccoli cheese soup in large gasket jars, and bring it out on busy weeknights when you don’t have the time to cook a meal!
What I Love About This Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
- This is a super creamy soup that’s packed with nourishing ingredients, including bone broth and broccoli.
- This soup uses simple ingredients and cooking techniques.
- This soup is Whole30, paleo, vegan, and dairy-free!
- This paleo and vegan broccoli cheese soup is ready to sit and simmer in under 30 minutes.
- You can adjust the amount and size of the broccoli to your liking.
Tips and Tricks for My Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
- If you forgot to soak the cashews ahead of time, don’t sweat! Simply let the cashews soak while you’re prepping the ingredients and completing steps 2-4.
- Other potatoes work great in this soup. You can use any other peeled white potato.
- Nutritional yeast may be a new ingredient for you, but it’s fairly easy to find. Look for it in the spices section.
- The size of the broccoli florets is largely up to you. I recommend chopping them very small (stalks and all), and leaving a few larger chunks for texture. You can also add all the little bits!
- I recommend doubling the recipe. Store what’s leftover in the freezer, and you’ll have dinner already made for another night!
- If you have an immersion blender, you can blend the ingredients for the soup directly in the pot. Just make sure to remove the pot from the heat beforehand. If you’re using a larger stock pot, you’ll need to move the blender around to make sure you blend all the potato and cashew pieces.
Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup (Paleo, Whole30, Vegan)
This broccoli cheese soup is creamy, cheesy, and hearty. It’s made with simple, nourishing ingredients, and is incredibly easy to make. You’ll have no idea it’s completely dairy-free, vegan, and paleo!
Prep: 15Cook: 40Total: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw whole cashews
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup diced shallot
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 red potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups vegetable or bone broth
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 6 ounces finely chopped broccoli florets (about 2 ½ cups)
- Paprika (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a glass bowl. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, then pour the boiling water over the cashews. Let the cashews soak for 1 hour, then drain.
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrots, and potatoes, and saute everything until the shallots are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the broth, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are soft.
- Transfer everything from the pot to a high speed blender. Add the drained cashews, nutritional yeast, and salt. Blend on high until smooth (at least 1 minute).
- Return the soup to the pot. Stir in the broccoli florets, cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
- Serve warm garnished with a little paprika.
Notes
If you don’t have a high speed blender, you can also blend the soup directly in the pot using an immersion blender. Just make sure to remove the soup pot from the burner before blending, and follow all of the appropriate instructions to avoid splattering the soup.
What did you think about this creamy broccoli cheese soup recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments below!
Be strong,
Tatiana says
I made this for dinner tonight and OMG! We’re on our last stretch of a whole 30, and this recipe was just great – perfect comfort food. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing!
Noelle Tarr, NTP, CPT says
Awesome to hear!!
JACQUELINE says
I’m not going to lie I wasn’t expecting much, but I stand corrected. This was was pretty darn good!